Plug question (continually fouling plugs)

Actually, even though it doesn't look like it in the pictures above, I do add a small amount with new plugs.

My physic powers suggest "banana cream pie".

I add some every time the plugs come out. I always want to see a ring of it on the washer. I use either nickel or graphite based because it looks better. New silicone grease every time too.

Did you end up putting the breather hoses back & or did you remove the hose or divert?
Not easy as it is inside the case.
My left side hose was weeping oil supposedly when on center stand.
But never saw oil like you had, but connectors were wet with it.
The Delortos choke is a Venturi I think they call it so self cleaning.

Judging by the result using a lower oil level, I suggest a later or deep pan, and a /7 dipstick. BMW did both of those in '76 because of problems in R90 that were run hard.

So as of today, the hose is completely removed. And as mentioned above I've even pulled the airbox and was surprised that there was no oil. I sort of expected it to he on everything.

I've had both bikes in the shed for almost two months and I'm just waiting for some time and warmer temps to pull the valve covers to snap a pic as Plaka suggested.

I also have a new disc and pads to hopefully fix a pulsing brake issue I've had since I bought the bike.

If you have removed the hose completely are you planning on reinstalling the hose or?
In theory the oil will come through the breather & go somewhere?
Yes I am waiting for a cold shed when I get motivated to start pulling t box.

I had a customer who was riding a /6 powered conversion year-round. On really cold nights, the bike would go on to one cylinder. He pulled the float bowls and discovered the right was full of ice. After some thinking, I realised that the engine was making a lot of condensate, which was leaving via the breather. We got him an R65 breather cover, which has its outlet pointing up, drilled a hole in the starter cover, and ran a hose from it to ground.

I think my issue may have simply been keeping the oil filled to the top mark on dipstick.

So if that turns out to be true, then I'd like to reinstall the tube and then if it's still good, maybe think about the deep oil pan.

Yep, that used to happen to me when I rode year round. I lived in Central IL, where there usually wasn't much snow, but it could get to 0F and below. I would ride down to about 5F or so. If I hit any amount of throttle before it was warmed up, I would lose the idle on the right side. If I took off the airtube, there would be a plug of ice blocking the inlet on the bottom part of the carb. I also would have to drop the bowl and drain the water/ice from it every night when I got home.

The deep oil pan was the mod everyone did many different opinions of if it really made a difference?
Unless you are going to cross country & back.
I had one did it help in my case not really bike had other issues.

Good to know. As long as I'm not burning oil and fouling plugs, I'm good with the stock setup running with the oil level at the mid-point of the dip stick....unless that compromises engine life. Which, if the deep oil pan lessened that concern, would sway me to install it.

I found this the other day, it could possibly include other manufacturers too. https://ngksparkplugs.com/en/resources/5-things-you-should-know-about-spark-plugs

NGK spark plugs feature trivalent plating. This silver or chrome-colored finish on the threads is designed to provide corrosion resistance against moisture and chemicals. The coating also acts as a release agent during spark plug removal. NGK spark plugs are installed at the factory dry, without lubrication or anti-seize.

Anti-seize can act as a lubricant, altering torque values up to 20 percent, increasing the risk of spark plug thread breakage and/or metal shell stretch. Thread breakage can sometimes involve removing the cylinder head for repair. Metal shell stretch changes the heat rating of the spark plug and can result in serious engine damage caused by pre-ignition. Do not use anti-seize or lubricant on NGK spark plugs. It is completely unnecessary and can be detrimental.

Porsche also recommends not using anti-seize on spark plugs if I remember correctly. There has been some mention of it effecting plug efficiency by acting as insulation and preventing a good ground connection.

And anti-seize or any lubricant affects torque values on fittings.

If I was going to worry about it I would use a torque (or similar method) wrench on my plugs. I have never stripped a head or stretched the threads. BMW boxer, ACVW, aluminum head small engines, etc. Both graphite and nickel are highly electrically conductive so I don't worry about that. BMW will do anything to save a pfennig and sell bikes and NGK will make any snake oil claims (skeptical? moi?) that will allow them to sell plugs. These are not disinterested parties. If the plating was a byproduct of the manufacturing process some marketing wonk would make it a selling point. But this is only my experience. I have broken a whole lot of the 6mm bolts that hold on ACVW Type 1 oil screens. So much fun playing easy out games upside down with oil dripping in ones face. Dues, dues, dues. But it does give one a feel. If one lacks that, measure torque.

Oil level necessary seem to differ slightly on different machines with oil misting & oil movement.
Some of the bigger pans do have baffles to slow oil movement of the larger volume.
Determine where is the proper level of oil for your engine, factoring any oil weeping.
Too much oil equaling more oil windage turning to turbulent vapors exiting the engine.
Too little less lubricantion, where that point is also dependent on condition of engine as a whole & inherent oil passages.
Condition of oil pump seems to be critical there.

I did lose one engine to blocked oil passages, through some bad advice.

Out of all the bikes I've worked on in my life, I have to say Airheads have the most conversations about the "right" torque.

So I'm pretty careful to double-check with the Snowbum and this forum when things are in doubt.

And so far the only thing I've stripped/broken was the threaded stud in the bottom of the fork.


Photo credit - Duane Ausherman

It didn't make it half-way to the recommended torque before it snapped. Ended up replacing them both and even then I didn't go to full torque on the new ones.

Off topic I know, but been there done that. What's the deal with 17-19 ft.-lb. specification in the Clymer anyway? Snowbum says 15-17. Since snapping that off I just go by feel now, but curious if anyone has another source for proper torque on this.

You have to question some of BMW's torque specs and apply your own judgement particularly in alloy threads. For example, Just checking in my original riders hand book it says to apply graphite grease to spark plug threads but then fails to give a torque spec which sounds like a recipe for stripped threads in the wrong hands. The BMW repair manual does give a spec of 17 - 22 ftlbs but I wouldn't dream of using 22 ftlbs when there is any lubricant on the threads. I either do it by feel or use 15 ftlbs with antiseize. At the other extreme BMW's sub frame mounting bolt torque spec is about half of what you would find for that size of bolt in standard tables. That is a puzzle to me unless it's something to do with the lateral stress the bolts are under.